was I just ripped off by a crafty plant salesman??

This is a discussion on was I just ripped off by a crafty plant salesman?? within the Beginner Planted Aquarium forums, part of the Beginner Freshwater Aquarium category; -->
went to the store today NOT intending to buy plants - just have a look around and pick the guys brain a bit - ...

went to the store today NOT intending to buy plants - just have a look around and pick the guys brain a bit - I wasn't (and am still not) entirely sure what I want... but the plants were pretty inexpensive (about $2 a piece) - I was looking through the tank not really sure what ANY of it was - he was steering me away from ferny looking plants 'because they fall apart' and suggested these other two

this guy has been in this same spot selling fish for like 20 years so I figured he had SOME clue as to what he was talking about so I foolishly bought one of each of the ones he suggested

before putting them in the tank I thought I'd go online and check them out by the names he gave me

green hedge and cherry hedge - BOTH of which I have read in like 20 different places are NOT true aquatic plants and should be avoided

they weren't that much money so I won't beat myself up myself over the loss if they aren't something I should use - but I just wanted to come here and see what you guys had to say about it

are they going to be harmful or just not beneficial? should I bother to plant them or just toss them and cut my losses?

Wow! I can't wait to see what Byron says about these but they certainly look nice. They looks so full and healthy. I hope they work out for your tank. Now that I have some of the smaller leaf and ferny stuff, I kind of like the larger leaf plants like the Sword. I am not sure I would feel the same way if I didn't currently have 2 plant loving fish eating all my plants. ha ha I love the look of variety in a tank.

So far all I could find about them is that they make great terrarium plants. That could be totally wrong or they might do both. It will be nice to find out from someone who really knows plants. I would think if they were not for aquariums, you could take them back since that is what you wanted in the first place.

That said, I wanted community fish and I can't take mine back either. At least you only spent a couple of bucks, if they don't work.

Never heard those names in reference to aquarium plants, and they do have an appearance that suggests terrestrial to me. I checked online, and found this blurb:

Cherry Hedge and Green Hedge are other terrestrial plants that sneak their way onto pet store shelves with genuine aquatic plants. They will all do fine for a long period of time but will die off after several months at the most and should not be submerged in water. Cherry and Green Hedges have a similar appearance. They are both short, bright green, and bushy. The Green Hedge does have smaller leaves than the Cherry Hedge. These plants are hardy but need dry conditions to grow.

There is no mention of toxins being released into the water (some land plants can do this) so presumably at worst they would live a few months (according to this info) and then rot at which time they should immediately be removed to avoid fouling the water. However, caution is probably best, don't use them.

Me too! Why take a chance with SuperCory. That fish has made it through the stressful cycle, we don't want to have you lose him to some plant problem. They are lovely plants, but not worth the risk to your fish. IMO

they were in a tank with fish but that doesn't mean anything
anyway cool - thanks for the input =)
I'm having trouble finding a store that has anything labeled - as far as plants go - so without being spot on at identifying these things myself I'm kinda at the mercy of the people working there to sell me good things
and if they have them for sale they obviously think they're good to sell so I guess I should be looking for a reputable place to order this sort of thing online - where I can shop by name instead of by looks

oh and it's not just supercory anymore... I felt confident enough that the tank was cycled well enough (ammonia and nitrites at zero - nitrate at 10-20... no idea which haaaa) to get some fish
the only thing I knew for sure that I was doing in this tank were the black neon tetras so I got a few of those yesterday too

at the same place where I got those plants though :/

I should have known better than to trust that guy when he was trying to sell me those fish PLUS a golden algae eater (even though I kept telling him I was concerned about their tendency to be aggressive) he was like LOOK do they look aggressive to you? and I was like NOTHING behaves the same in the store as it does once it's in it's new home and has room to set up house haaa
oh and AND 2 dwarf gouramis he wanted me to buy too!! I resisted even though they were $1 less each than they are at petco!!

with the fish I followed my gut, stood my ground and got only what I went in there for!!

wish I had followed my gut about the plants though :/

p.s. as for taking them back.... since I didn't know how long they would be ok in the bags, I had to put them in a bucket with water overnight and somehow the bags got thrown out - so I kinda doubt he'll take them back now - I kinda doubt he would anyway but especially now :/

Good you held out on the fish. A CAE would be too big for your 15g (I think that was it, or maybe 20g?) and the aggressiveness does come with maturity as they get larger. Plus they do not eat algae then. Useless frankly.

I can't imagine store people trying to sell me fish, I have never had that happen; the opposite is more likely. But I am fortunate to have reputable fish stores that I patronize, run by hobbyists themselves (that makes a big difference) who are concerned for the fish and for my satisfaction when I get them in my tanks. Of course, they wouldn't be able to hoodwink me on fish I know, and I make it a rule never, never to buy fish I have not fully researched. That is a good habit to get into.

I love loaches, and spotted some small (maybe 1.5 inches) quite neat looking ones the other day, no idea what they were, the "common" name turned out (as is often the case) to be rather useless. There were about 20-30 of them all swimming around, looked like a nice shoaling loach. I went home, couldn't find them online from my memory, so I called the store and asked for the scientific name from their supplier. When I looked them up, I saw they max out at 4 inches (which is OK in my 70g) but become rather aggressive to themselves and other similar fish (like my existing loaches). Not good.